Player Attitudes Toward Mental Disorder Depictions in Video Games: Implications for Cognition and Recovery

Mental disorders and the stigma of mental disorders affect the lives of a segment of the population as well as mental health care, and these issues are related to the well-being of people's lives, social development, and the economy. Video games, as a popular and persuasive medium of expression, are considered to have the potential to be a cost-effective way to reduce shame and heal patients. This paper analyses the attitudes of players towards the depiction of mental disorders in two games, Needy Streamer Overload and The Longest Walk. The study confirmed the role of games in the cognition and recovery of mental disorders found in some previous studies, and found some new potential roles. Based on the analysis results, this paper puts forward the design direction and points for attention when designing this kind of games in the future.